East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan

East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan Natural Environment Background Paper October 2020 East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan: Natural Environment Background Paper Contents 1. Background 3 2. Strategic planning context 5 3. Other strategies and plans 12 4. Environmental designations 29 5. Feedback 31 6. Planning policy options and preferred approach 34 7. Potential community actions 36 2 | P a g e eastboldonforum.org.uk East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan: Natural Environment Background Paper 1. Background 1.1 This document is one in a series of background papers prepared by the East Boldon Neighbourhood Forum (‘the forum’). It sets out the relevant national and local policy and guidance that is informing the preparation of the East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan. The background paper also identifies and explains the relevant evidence base, feedback from early engagement and explains how the preferred policy approach has been identified. 1.2 The vision and objectives for the neighbourhood plan define what the plan aims to achieve. The vision for the neighbourhood plan is: A vision for East Boldon in 2036 East Boldon remains a thriving village full of character. It has a strong sense of community where local schools and voluntary groups, including sport and leisure organisations, play an important part in bringing people together. It is home to a wide range of successful businesses. These make an important contribution to village life and are actively supported by local people. It is blessed with wonderful green spaces on all sides, much of which is safeguarded by Green Belt status. This has done much to protect the village from urban sprawl and help maintain its identity and separation from other settlements as well as providing important habitat for wildlife. Infrastructure has been delivered to support the needs of the local community and business. New development is sensitive to the character of the village, it provides opportunities for the enhanced wellbeing of its residents, and ensures an environment which is rich in landscape for wildlife. In short, new development should be sustainable in every sense. The needs of local residents, both young and old, are a major consideration in the type and location of all new development. The need to keep the local community together by providing the right mix of housing is seen as a priority. Any new development should be seen as an opportunity to address the issue of parking and not add to it. 1.3 Neighbourhood plan objective three addresses the natural environment: “Plan positively for the creation, protection and enhancement of networks of biodiversity and green infrastructure in the neighbourhood plan area including ensuring that there are linkages to wider green infrastructure networks.” 1.4 The main areas covered by this background paper are: • The national and local policy context for the natural environment; • An overview of other relevant documents and evidence; • Environmental designations that cover the plan area; • Consideration of feedback received as part of the early engagement on the plan; and • Explanation of the preferred policy approach 3 | P a g e eastboldonforum.org.uk East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan: Natural Environment Background Paper 1.2 As part of the consultation on the pre-submission draft plan we are inviting comments on the issues identified within this background paper. Comments can be made in the following ways: • By email to: [email protected]; or • By letter to: East Boldon Forum, c/o Boldon & Cleadon Community Library, Boker Lane, East Boldon, NE36 0RY. 1.3 Comments must be submitted by Monday 7 December 2020. 4 | P a g e eastboldonforum.org.uk East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan: Natural Environment Background Paper 2. Strategic Planning Context Background 2.1 As they are part of the development plan, neighbourhood plans have to be prepared in line with legal requirements. The way in which neighbourhood plans are prepared and the policies they contain will be tested by an Independent Examiner. In order to pass an examination and proceed to referendum, neighbourhood plans must meet a number of ‘basic conditions’, to ensure they are legally compliant they must: • Have regard to national planning policy and guidance; • Be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the local plan; • Contribute to sustainable development; and • Be compatible with European obligations. National planning policy and guidance 2.2 National planning policy and guidance is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) respectively. The NPPF is clear that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. These roles should not be undertaken in isolation, because they are mutually dependent. 2.3 The NPPF makes a clear commitment to conserving the natural environment in the planning system. The natural environment is regarded as having a key role in achieving sustainable development (paragraph 8) 2.4 Section 8 of the NPPF deals with healthy communities. It highlights the importance of accessibility to high quality open spaces and the need to base plan policies on up to date assessments. It also introduces the concept of local green spaces where areas of open green space, that are important to local communities, can be recognised and protected through this specific designation. The strength of protection is as strong as for Green Belt, it needs to be consistent with sustainable development and spaces must meet three prescribed criteria to be successfully designated (paragraph 100). 2.5 Section 12 looks at good design and identifies that planning policies should: create and sustain an appropriate mix of uses including the incorporation of green and other public space and address the connections between people and places and integrate new development into the natural environment. 2.6 Section 14 sets out how the planning system should be meeting the challenge of climate change, flooding and change. Paragraph 149 requires plans to take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change, taking into account the long-term implications for flood risk, coastal change, water supply, biodiversity and landscapes and the risk of overheating from rising temperatures. It highlights that policies should support appropriate measures to ensure the future resilience of communities and infrastructure to climate change impacts. Paragraph 151 identifies that plans should help increase the use and supply of renewable and low carbon energy and heat. 5 | P a g e eastboldonforum.org.uk East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan: Natural Environment Background Paper 2.7 With regard to flood risk, paragraph 155 identifies that development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk and that all plans should apply a sequential, risk based approach to the location of development. 2.8 Section 15 deals with the natural environment and states that local plans should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment: • Maintain the objective of sustainable development; • Protecting and enhancing valued landscapes, geological conservation interests and soils; • Recognising the wider benefits of ecosystem services; • Minimising impacts on biodiversity and providing net gains in biodiversity where possible; • Plan positively for the creation, protection, enhancement and management of networks; • Identify and record all components of the ecological network; • Include policies to conserve and enhance the natural environment; • Identify areas where development may be inappropriate; • Contain a clear strategy for enhancing the natural environment; • Retain and enhance all publicly accessible open space unless prescribed tests are met. 2.9 The NPPG also contains guidance on the natural environment and is subdivided into sections on landscape, biodiversity, green infrastructure, soils and agricultural land. Local Plan 2.10 Currently the development plan policies which cover the East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan Area are contained in the South Tyneside: Core Strategy (2007); Development Policies (2011); and Site Specific Allocations (2012). The South Tyneside Development Policies document contains a set of generic policies against which planning applications for new development are assessed. As the neighbourhood plan is required to be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the local plan, the policies contained within the South Tyneside Development Policies document are not considered to be strategic policies and therefore are not applicable. 2.11 Table 1 provides a summary of the relevant South Tyneside Core Strategy policies: Table 1: Relevant South Tyneside Core Strategy Policies Policy Description ST1 – Spatial Strategy Seeks to focus new development in order to: for South Tyneside • regenerate the River Tyne and coastal corridors; • support the role and function of the South Shields, Jarrow and Hebburn; • promote opportunities along the A19 economic growth corridor; • ensure the sustainability of settlements; and • maximise the re-use of land. In addition, the policy seeks to avoid or minimise environmental 6 | P a g e eastboldonforum.org.uk East Boldon Neighbourhood Plan: Natural Environment Background Paper Policy Description impacts. ST2 – Sustainable urban Requires: living • high standards of urban design; • energy efficiency and sustainable construction; • on-site

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